Producer, DJ, Emcee, "Coolout Chris" Hawkins has been rocking Chicago hip-hop for years, and many regard him as a true Chicago treasure.A founding member of one of the citys premiere crews "Elements of Nature", and the 90s era rap group Spalaneys,Coolouts music has been featured on radio and television, and in 1999 he co-founded Urbanized Music, and BeatQuarters Productions. Coolout has worked with a host of artists and producers including Poetree Chicago, Amina, Kevin Coval, DJ Emmaculate, Profound, Ang 13, The Opus, Maintain, Tall Black Guy, Cadre, Jrunk Unklz, Tina M Howell, Phillip Morris, and a host of others.Coolout Chris also sits on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Hip-Hop Initiative, a non profit community arts organization.
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Coolout recalls his quest to become a music producer began when he was growing up. Me and my brother would imitate The Jackson Five in the living room and entertain the family. Wed have on our Sunday clothes, use sticks as a mic stand, and wed be doing it! At age 10 he began playing the keyboard by ear, giving himself lessons in department stores while his mom shopped. She always knew where to find me for Christmas that year, she bought me my first keyboard!
At age 18, this DJ, emcee, and novice beat maker formed the 90s era rap group Spalaneys (Coolout, Riff-Raff, Snap, and Tony Baines).Spalaneys was one of the founding members of Chicagos west suburban crew Elements of Nature, which also included Rubberoom/The Opus, Indigenous Theory, Dirty MF, Verb, Underground Soulution, Children of Reality (which featured a young Freddy Rodriguez), and a few more.For the next several years Elements Of Nature would redefine the suburbs hip-hop image, and help put The Woods on the map.Coolouts group Spalaneys, performed widely and toured the US for the next 5 years, including showcases for Giant/Warner Bros., E.M.I., and Def Jam. They were also featured at the A.S.C.A.P Music showcase in Los Angeles, on tour with DJ Quik, and at Princes former nightclub Glam Slam, in Minneapolis, Their 94 song Universal Language was featured on the now classic compilation Talent Fest produced by Beathole Records it was the first nationally distributed Chicago hip-hop compilation.
By the end of the decade Coolout took his experience as a performer-producer-lyricist and teamed up with Amina, a hometown emcee/poet who was by this time, beginning to organize and network local artists. Together they would form Urbanized Music (a production & songwriting crew). In addition to producing and performing with his group, Coolout has worked with several notable independent artists including fellow Urbanized Music members Amina, Pathfinders, Tree 13, and Tina M Howell; he has also produced for poet and educator Kevin Coval, L.E.G.A.C.Y. (of the Justus League), Maintain (of Waste Management Records) Poetree Chicago (Get On Point, featuring Chairman Fred Hampton Jr.), Idris Goodwin, Profound, O.N.E. Jones, Presence, Phillip Morris, Lunatic The Messiah, Cadre Quarters, and others throughout the country.
Coolout is also engaged in civic and community affairs as vice president, co-founder, and Music Director of Chicago Hip-Hop Initiative, a not-for profit hip-hop arts organization. In 2003 C.H.I. presented and championed the passage of a resolution to declare July as the official Chicago Hip-Hop Heritage month.
Having worked with and mentored some of Chicagos hottest producers including Emmaculate, Tony Baines and an aspiring Kanye West, he vows to continue to raise the bar, setting trends for upcoming generations. He is currently heading up UMAC, Urbanized Music Affiliated Collectives, a collaboration project between performing artists, djs, and producers from across the country that will develop a national network of venues, performance, and promotional opportunities for indie artists throughout the United States. This network is poised to give new definition to the term independent music, and change the game, as we know it.
Coolout Collab Sampler
This section is currently under construction but enjoy a few Coolout callabos, while we work to brink you more music...
